Television: The Jingle Jangle

When the band struck up the jazz classic Muskrat Ramble over Los Angeles' KTTV, Lyricist Ray Gilbert winced to hear his own words replaced by others: "You're gonna love this coffee, man oh man ..." Last week Gilbert sued for $300,000 from the sponsor (Hills Brothers Coffee), the ad agency (N. W. Ayer), and his own music publisher (George Simon), who explained that he had sold the singing-commercial rights to the music —minus the lyrics—for $500. Gilbert charged that the jingle had injured his reputation "by reducing him in the eyes of the...